Cutest Blog and Widdlytink

Jun 26, 2014

Go Science Series Two - An Explosive Review!

I think I've mentioned that we {big fat puffy heart} elementary science around here. When Library and Educational Services offered the opportunity to review two of the Go Science series two DVDs to the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I was all over that! Library and Educational Services has been a wholesale distributor of CDs, DVDs, and books for over 35 years. If you are a homeschooling family, YOU qualify for wholesale prices! L.E.S. carries only products which are inline with their Christian morals and values.

Go Science Series 2
Volume 2: Life Science, Weather

The boys are hoping to get their hands on some liquid nitrogen, because
that's so easy to just pick up at the store, right? I think the liquid nitrogen cloud experiment
was the biggest hit on screen *and* in my living room! Xav thought he
could recreate it with some hot water and *very*
cold water. This volume was jam packed with exploding type experiments.

Dad *made* a garbage can vortex cannon! The boys like to pretend they've been shot and fall to the ground dead. Even Merrick enjoys this game.

We've discovered iron in our cereal.

We're making a naked egg.

Volume 7: Engineering, Design, Flight

We learned how to balance a bunch of nails on one *single* nail. I
won't tell you that trick, but I wish I had known it last month when we
went to the Sciencenter!

Another lesson on this DVD involves using a trebuchet, which I think had the best (though very short) message of God's blessings. A simple toilet paper demonstration explained inertia. The message he included was about forcing people and breaking relationships.

We walked on eggs. This experiment was free for us because the girls have been generous layers this spring. I think they're making up for six eggs all winter. Anyway, if you try it, chances are good you will not break any and still be able to use them. Out of two dozen, only one cracked and that was because the neighboring egg tilted in the carton and poked it in the side.

I wish I could tell you which video was our favorite, but we loved both of the DVDs we received. There was a *lot* of "Whoa!" and "Cool!" happening here while we viewed these. They really are the coolest science experiments. I think the summer camps we host for our co-op are going to be especially science-y this year! I'm also trying to decide which episode to use for chapel when it's my turn again.

The Go Science series would make a great launching point for choosing fun science fair projects.

Each demonstration is 3-10 minutes long, making the DVDs approximately one hour long. Some of the experiments aren't typically performed at home, but I did see plenty of things on these disks that we can recreate fairly easily... and safely!

These videos were filmed as part of a Christian TV broadcast. They take place on a set, in what appears to be a school gymnasium, and out of doors. Safety gear is always discussed and used. Most aspects of the experiments are explained, though I was left with unanswered questions a few times. I don't think the boys noticed or cared though. A couple of the sessions, the cameras were really not in place to catch the "epic" close of the demonstration. One example was the ping pong ball cannon. The shot was of the host puncturing the tape on one end of the tube, but the action was happening at the other end of the tube.

These DVDs are not a full curriculum, but rather a marvelous addition to any science course. I'd recommend watching the relevant video clip to reinforce things the children are learning in science at the time. It will probably be clearer and stick in their minds better. However, there is no reason to not watch it straight through. We did.

The show host, Ben Roy, ties some of the demonstrations into a very short Bible or virtue lesson. For instance, in one he talks about how our words and the repercussions of what we say can get away from us like fire. In another, he talks about the cloud Moses and the Israelites followed when leaving Egypt. We are reminded that we each have a purpose. He ends each presentation with the catchphrase, "Whenever we learn more about science, we learn more about our creator; God."

Each short begins with the "Go Science" fish logo. Xavier, then Malachi, and now Merrick all shout, "Goooooooo science!" every single time. Cracks me up.